Mara - Nmtforhealth

11/19/2025

If your neck is tight, your hips feel stuck, and you keep waking up tired even after rest, your body is likely running an old compensation pattern that never got reset.

Your nervous system learned this strategy years ago to keep you moving. It kept you stable when something deeper stopped doing its job.

Over time, one weak link turns into a chain reaction.
When the psoas underworks, the glutes stop supporting the hips. Then everything above compensates.
Breathing changes. Lymph slows. Muscles grip to keep you upright.
Your proprioception blurs, leaving you feeling clumsy, ungrounded, and disconnected from your own body. Your posture shifts. One side feels different from the other. Rotation becomes stiff and effortful.

You feel this as tension, poor sleep, fatigue you cannot stretch away, and a sense that you are not fully at home in yourself anymore.
The compensation also shows up as knots and tender spots that keep returning in your upper traps, neck, hip flexors, or IT band. These are not random tight spots. They are the muscles working overtime to stabilize what the original pattern can no longer support.

This is why treatments that only address where it hurts keep failing.
Most bodywork releases the tight muscles without asking why they are gripping. The tightness returns because the underlying pattern never changed. Your nervous system is still running the same strategy.

This is also why your glutes will not activate no matter how many bridges or clamshells you do.
Your nervous system already assigned that work to other muscles. Until the original breakdown is addressed, your brain has no reason to change the strategy.

In my sessions, we use muscle feedback testing to find where the pattern began.
Not just where you feel it now, but where your body stopped trusting a muscle to do its job and shifted the workload somewhere else. Once we identify that, we retrain the pattern so your body has a better option than gripping.

This is about updating the strategy your nervous system uses so you can feel supported, stable, and connected again.

Your body is not broken. It is brilliantly adapted. Link in bio.

Save this if you are tired of chasing symptoms.

11/13/2025

Why your body grips and how to help it let go

A few weeks ago I asked a simple question on Instagram.

Where do you unconsciously grip?

🙋‍♀️ Jaw
🦶 Toes
💺 Pelvic floor

More than 500,000 people saw it. Many replied.
Almost every message said some version of:
“I didn’t know I was doing this.”
“This explains everything.”
“Why does this keep happening?”

So I wrote something for you.

It’s a full article that explains why chronic tension comes back, why breath feels restricted, and why your body may feel tired even when you are trying to rest.

The article is long. I wrote it that way on purpose. It goes deep into what I see in my practice and why these patterns are not “tight muscles” but full-body adaptations your nervous system created to protect you.

What I am seeing every week:
Your body grips to stabilize you when something deeper is underworking.
Over time the grip takes over and becomes your baseline.

This affects more than tension. It affects:

• Lymphatic flow
• Breathing capacity
• Rotation
• Brain drainage
• Physical reactivity
• Symmetry
• Balance

A lot of you feel this immediately when we work together.
You stand up off the table and say things like:

“I feel centered again.”
“I finally feel my left side.”
“My feet feel grounded.”
“My balance feels different.”

That is what happens when we restore symmetry and balance in the deeper patterns.
Your body no longer has to compensate to keep you upright, breathing, and stable.

In the blog, I explain the 3 stages of that process, including photos from a client who gave permission to share his progression.

He went from forward-head posture, rib collapse, and chronic gripping to feeling grounded, supported, and balanced again.
His symmetry returned. His breath opened. His body felt lighter.

This is not just for people in pain.
It is for anyone who feels:

• Off-center on one side
• Less stable on one leg
• Slower on one side of their body
• Disconnected from part of their body
• Reactivity in their neck when they move
• Chronic jaw tension
• Hip tightness that never resolves
• A sense that something is “off” but you can’t explain it

These are often signs of compensation patterns that have been running for years.

Here is the full article:
The Grip That's Stealing Your Breath
[Article link (https://nmtforhealth.com/the-grip-thats-stealing-your-breath/) ]

It covers:

• The 5 systems blocked by unconscious gripping
• Why chronic pain is so exhausting
• How compensation becomes your baseline
• Why your neck is the command center
• The jaw to pelvic floor connection
• How symmetry and balance are restored
• What I do in sessions and what you can do at home
• A 3-minute grip release you can try today

Take your time with it.
It’s long, detailed, and meant to give you clarity and relief.

A note as we head into end of November and December:
These months get busy for everyone. Tension builds faster. Schedules fill quickly.
If you know your body needs care before the holiday rush, you can book ahead so your sessions are spaced in a way that supports you.

Here are the options if you want care this month:

• Discovery in-person or online Session
• Continuing Care
• Muscle Care
• TMJ Therapy
• Lymphatic Drainage

You can always reply to this email and tell me what you’re feeling. I’m happy to guide you.

Read the article and let me know:
Where do YOU unconsciously grip?
I would love to hear what you notice.

Warmly,
Mara

Let's work together

ALIGN your body and your HEALTH

Click here for an update from MaraNicandroNMT!

11/13/2025

You told me where you grip. Jaw, toes, pelvic floor.

Now here’s what happens when your body finally lets go.

Swipe to see what this transformation looked like for one of my clients →

STAGE 1: Years of unconscious gripping created this compensation pattern

STAGE 2: He learned self-resets and got 70 percent of the way there

STAGE 3: Hands-on therapy completed the transformation

The shift: His structure reorganized. His breath deepened. His nervous system moved from survival mode to rest and digest.

One of his biggest wins: he couldn’t do overhead lifts before, and now he has the confidence and stability to build on them again.

That is what this work is about. Not just looking better in photos, but getting back to the movements your body has been unconsciously avoiding.

There are layers your nervous system can’t access when it has been protecting you for a long time.
Deep fascial tension, old gripping patterns, and subsystems that have been offline.

What changed for him was learning how to feel those layers and how to work with them.
That is where the shift happened.

Not dependency. Partnership.

Sustainable change comes from understanding your own body and learning how it works.

📍Discovery Sessions online and in Wicker Park

10/30/2025

When your shoulder feels “unstable,” it’s not always a strength issue, it’s a coordination one.

When the shoulder blade muscles stop sending clear position signals, your rotator cuff steps in to create stability it was never meant to handle.
That’s when tension builds, movement feels limited, and even simple motions can trigger fatigue or clicking.

This next slide shows what’s really happening when your shoulder compensates and how restoring coordination can bring balance back to your movement.

🌀 Re-educating these patterns isn’t about working harder. It’s about helping your body work together again.

💾 Save this post to come back to later or share it with someone who’s been struggling with shoulder tension.

10/28/2025

Try this 10-second test + book a November session to restore your stability

Quick question: Can you stand on one leg for 10 seconds without gripping your toes, holding your breath, or clenching your jaw?
If not, you're not alone — and your body is trying to tell you something important.

As hormones shift (especially during perimenopause), your nervous system's ability to sense and respond efficiently can get disrupted. Your muscles don't communicate as clearly with your brain. Your internal GPS gets fuzzy.

So your body compensates with tension instead of coordination.
You might notice:
→ Feeling "off balance" when you turn quickly
→ Tight hips or shoulders that won't release
→ Jaw clenching or toe gripping during simple movements
→ Fatigue after things that used to feel easy
These aren't signs of weakness. They're signs of a disrupted feedback loop between your muscles, joints, and nervous system.

And here's what most people miss:
When your body uses tension to stay upright — when you're constantly gripping, clenching, bracing — your nervous system gets locked in fight-or-flight mode. You literally can't access rest and digest.
Your body can't let go. It can't recover. It stays stuck in a loop of chronic activation.

The fix isn't just "get stronger."
It's releasing the patterns that keep you locked, so your body can finally rest, digest, and regulate.
That's exactly what we work on in session.
🗓 NOVEMBER OPENING
I have 3 spots available the week of November 12–15 for therapy sessions.
Here's what happens:
✓ A reactivity (single leg balance) and compensation pattern assessment
✓ Hands-on work to release chronic tension and restore muscle coordination
✓ Breath and alignment re-education to shift you out of brace mode
✓ A clear path to help your nervous system access rest and digest again
If you've been feeling "off" in your body — this is when to address it.
[BOOK YOUR NOVEMBER SESSION (http://maranicandronmtappointments.com) ]

Want to read more first?
I just wrote about how hormonal shifts affect balance, muscle tone, and grip strength — and why that one-leg test tells you so much.
[Read: How Hormones Affect Your Balance (https://nmtforhealth.com/hormones-balance-muscle-health/) ] ← link to blog
Your Body's Natural Stack™
Awareness first. Coordination next. Stability follows.
Mara

Let's work together

ALIGN your body and your HEALTH

Click here for an update from MaraNicandroNMT!

10/26/2025

Your rotator cuff feels unstable. Your knee clicks. Your hip is tight on one side. Your jaw clenches at night.

These aren’t separate problems.

Here’s what’s actually happening:

When muscle tone starts to change. From perimenopause, chronic stress, sitting all day, or old injuries — your body loses the feedback loop it depends on.

Muscles and tendons don’t just move you. They’re constantly sending signals to your brain about where you are in space, how stable your joints are, and whether you’re safe.

When that communication breaks down:

🔸 Your rotator cuff compensates because shoulder blade muscles stopped coordinating. Now your arm doesn’t know where “neutral” is.

🔸 Your knee feels unstable because the muscles around your hip aren’t giving your brain clear feedback. So your knee takes the load.

🔸 Your hip stays tight because when lymph flow slows and tension builds, your body grips to create the stability it’s missing from proper muscle tone.

🔸 Your jaw clenches because your nervous system is compensating from the ground up. When your pelvis and core don’t stack well, your jaw becomes part of the bracing pattern.

That’s why “just stretching” or “strengthening” one area doesn’t last.

The breakdown isn’t local — it’s systemic.

Protecting muscle tone, restoring lymphatic flow, and retraining coordination helps your body recalibrate.
Your joints get clearer feedback. Your nervous system calms down. Movement feels easier.

That’s Your Body’s Natural Stack™ — not treating symptoms, but restoring the patterns that keep everything in conversation.

💬 Which one is you? Shoulder? Knee? Hip? Jaw? Comment below.

💾 Save this if you’ve been treating “separate” issues that never seem to resolve.

10/20/2025

"I thought I was relaxed.”

That’s what a client told me during a session.
He’d been doing everything right — breathing, resetting, moving.

But when we checked his balance, his body told a different story:
Jaw locked. Shoulders hiked. Low back gripping.

He believed he was relaxed.
His body was just used to tension.

When stress becomes constant, the body adapts.
Gripping, bracing, and clenching feel “normal.”

You haven’t lost strength —
you’ve lost variability.

Healthy muscles know how to turn on and off.
When your nervous system stays in protect mode,
everything stays on.

The goal isn’t just to get stronger.
It’s to restore your body’s ability to regulate itself.

Not stuck in “on.”
Not forcing “off.”
Able to adapt.

That’s resilience.

Full post (link in bio) — includes a 2-minute body scan you can try today.

10/19/2025

A 2-minute body scan to check in with yourself

I was thinking about you this morning.

It’s been a while. As we head into the holidays, I’m noticing how often people think they’re relaxed, but their bodies tell a different story.

Jaw clenched. Shoulders hiked. Feet gripping. It becomes the baseline, so you stop noticing.

I wrote something about this and it made me think of the work we did together. There’s a quick body scan you can try right now. It takes about two minutes.

[Read: “I Thought I Was Relaxed” (https://nmtforhealth.com/youre-not-relaxed-youre-just-used-to-tension/) ]

Thought you might find it helpful.

If you want to reconnect, you know where to find me.

Warmly,
Mara

Let's work together

ALIGN your body and your HEALTH

Click here for an update from MaraNicandroNMT!

10/16/2025

She injured her knee at 10 years old. Nothing was really done.

**30+ years later, her body is still protecting it.**

Watch what happens after I teach her the Body Stacking Method:

Her body shifts immediately** — steadier, more grounded, less compensation.

But look at her face — she's still concentrating, still thinking.

That's not a problem. **That's her nervous system building a new connection.**

Her body is learning to trust before her mind fully understands it.

This is what real nervous system retraining looks like. The body responds. The brain builds the pathway. Over time, it becomes automatic.

She's not retrained in one session. But her body just proved it CAN change.

📍 Body Stacking Method
📍 Link in bio to start

10/14/2025

Can't come in person? Start here.
A 45-minute online...

Hello Friends<
I'm excited to share that I'm now offering 45-Minute Online Discovery Assessments via video call.
Whether you're traveling, living outside Chicago, or want guidance between in-person sessions, this gives you access to the same thorough assessment process—from wherever you are.
For a limited time, I'm offering an introductory rate of $145 (regular price $175).
Here's what to expect:
---
45-Minute Online Discovery Assessment
$145 | Live Video Session
Can't come in person? Start here.
This video-based session gives you expert eyes on your movement patterns, posture, and compensation strategies—from wherever you are.
---
What Happens in Your Online Session:
• Live postural and movement assessment via video call
• Real-time observation and education — I'll explain what I'm seeing as we go
• Guided movement screening to identify gripping, bracing, and compensation patterns affecting pain, tension, or dysfunction
• Session summary with focus points — written observations and suggested next steps based on what your body shows
• A digital copy of Your Body's Natural Stack™ to help you understand how alignment, breathing, and nervous system patterns layer together
• Introduction to my Align & Breathe™ technique — a simple method to help your body release protective tension and reconnect movement and breath
---
You'll Leave With:
• Clarity on postural and movement patterns contributing to your discomfort
• Understanding of why tension keeps returning—and how to retrain the compensation pattern, not just treat the symptom
• Specific at-home awareness practices you can start immediately, including your 7-Day Reset program to reinforce balance between sessions
• Guidance on whether hands-on work is your next step — or if nervous system preparation comes first
---
This Session Is Right for You If:
✓ You're exploring options before committing to in-person work
✓ You live outside the Chicago area
✓ You want to understand your body's patterns before scheduling treatment
✓ You need guidance between in-person sessions
✓ You're traveling but want to maintain your progress
✓ You have friends or family who need this approach
---
Ready to book?
[Insert your booking link here] (https://book.squareup.com/appointments/43rhawyew0ulas/location/69MBM506DQ05E/services/CIUSFVB2JQDPQ57HTGLU2S4K)
You'll receive a confirmation email right after booking. Please check your inbox for your intake form link and video call details.
Questions? Just reply to this email—I'm happy to help you decide if this is the right fit.
Warmly,
Mara Nicandro
Holistic Neuromuscular Therapy | Wicker Park, Chicago

Let's work together

ALIGN your body and your HEALTH

Click here for an update from MaraNicandroNMT!

10/08/2025

Frustrated by recurring pain that keeps coming back?

There’s a reason treatments only give temporary relief — your body is compensating for something deeper.

✨ New: Online Discovery Assessments (via video call)

In 45 minutes, we’ll assess your posture, movement patterns, and compensation strategies. You’ll get real-time feedback, clear next steps, and a digital copy of Your Body’s Natural Stack™.

This session is right for you if you’re:
• Exploring what therapeutic bodywork can do before committing to in-person treatment
• Living outside the Chicago area but want expert assessment
• Between sessions and need guidance on what to focus on at home

This is clinical assessment and education — not a spa consultation.

➡️ Swipe to see what clients notice after sessions

Link in bio to book or learn more.

10/08/2025

Simple daily resets for jaw, breathing, and lymph care this winter

Hi friends,

Winter can make our bodies brace. Cold air, dry heat, less daylight, and more screen time often show up as jaw clenching, shallow breathing, neck and shoulder tension, and slower lymph flow. Here’s how to support your body now so you can feel steady and clear through the season.

Why winter flares happen
* Cold makes us shrug and hold our breath, tightening the neck and jaw and stealing work from the diaphragm and core.
* Dry indoor air and heaters change how we breathe, reducing lateral rib movement and increasing neck effort.
* Less walking means slower lymph, so swelling and congestion can linger.
* Holiday travel adds awkward sitting, heavy bags, and stress.

What to do daily (5 to 8 minutes)
1. Align & Breathe check
Inhale through your nose and feel the ribs widen sideways.
Long, easy exhale. Let the belly soften. Keep your neck and jaw relaxed. 6 to 8 breaths.
2. Ball squeeze
Place a small Pilates ball between your knees or inner thighs.
Gentle squeeze on the exhale, soften on the inhale. 6 to 8 breaths.
3. Foot wake-up
Use toe spacers for 10 to 15 minutes.
Do slow ankle circles, then stand and feel even weight under your big toe, little toe, and heel.
4. Jaw ease
Tip of the tongue to the roof of the mouth behind the front teeth.
Light inhale through your nose. On the exhale, let your molars unweight and lips rest.

Consistency beats intensity. These small resets bring your body out of guard mode and back into rest and digest.

Travel tips you can do anywhere
* On a plane or in the car: every 20–30 minutes, take 5 lateral breaths. Roll your ankles and wiggle your toes.
* For your seat setup: small roll at the low back, shoulders relaxed, jaw neutral.
* After landing: 2 minutes of Align & Breathe with a gentle ball squeeze to re-stack hips and ribcage.
* Keep your neck warm: a light scarf helps reduce the shrug reflex and keeps breathing smooth.

If you catch a cold
Bodywork increases circulation and lymph flow, which can sometimes intensify symptoms while you're actively fighting something off. It's best to wait until cough and congestion are fully gone before scheduling a session. Once you're feeling clear, bodywork can help your system finish recovering and reset your breathing and movement.

Need to reschedule same-day? Just text me—even day-of is fine. Your health comes first.

What clients notice
* Easier lateral breathing and less neck effort
* Softer jaw and clearer sinuses
* Better single-leg balance and hip control
* Less swelling, less “heavy” feeling, more calm

Gentle reminder
Your body is not resisting healing. It is protecting you. With the right input it can let go.

Illness policy
Please wait until cough and congestion are fully gone. If you’re unsure whether you’re ready, check with your doctor first.

Ready to book
Winter can be stressful on your body. Book a session whenever you need support.

[Book your session here - LINK (https://www.maranicandronmtappointments.com/) ]

If you're recovering from a cold, wait until you're symptom-free first.

Not sure what to focus on next? Reply **"WINTER"** and I'll guide you.

Warmly,
Mara Nicandro
Holistic Neuromuscular Therapy | Wicker Park, Chicago

Winter gear I recommend
* Toe spacers
* Small Pilates ball
* Light scarf for travel
* Nasal saline rinse bottle

Two-minute reset
Lateral breaths x 6
Ball squeeze x 6
Toe lifts x 10
Jaw relax x 3 breaths

Illness policy
Please reschedule if you have active cough, fever, or congestion. Sessions resume when symptoms are fully resolved.

Let's work together

ALIGN your body and your HEALTH

Click here for an update from MaraNicandroNMT!